SECRETS

"Are you perhaps the grandson of Scarlet King?"

Her dark eyes were unreadable, but at least her voice did not carry any trace of hatred or loathe.

"If we talking about the same person we have in our minds, yes. She is now Scarlet Queen." Ares then frowned. "I'm sorry, but I seem to have no recollection of you."

The lady's aura turned bright as she eye-smiled and spoke in between chuckles. "Of course, you wouldn't know me. This is our first meeting. I won't criticise you, young man."

The boy reciprocated the smile and asked as he tilted his head confusingly. "Then how did you know who I was?"

"Your eyes." She answered simply and gazed into him reminiscently. "They are almost the complete copy of what she has. Although yours is rather soft and dreamy. I more than remember them, I can never forget them. Once we make eye contact, those eyes are burned into your memory in a pleasant way just like the way I can remember her eyes with clarity as if we met an minute ago."

Her voice was just as soft as her gaze peering into him as if she was reminded of her bittersweet past.

Ares looked down, a little affected by her words. "You sound like you have a past with my grandmother..." The lady smiled somehow painedly. "If you'd like, I have my phone right here, and you can talk to her through this."

The lady stared down at the phone stretched out from him with embarrassment and doubt, but she eventually shook her head and placed her hand over his to push the hand back to him.

"Thank you, I'd love that. But... it's a memory for me. I don't want to change it. It is best for both she and me to remain this way."

As much as Ares wanted to be persistent about the topic, he knew from her gaze that he would not succeed in changing her mind. Although the gaze was tinged with sadness, there was determination.

"I see," he said with an understanding smile. "But I won't take back my offer. It will always be available."

"Hmm." The lady chuckled. "Thank you... What is your name, young man?"

"Ares. Ares Queen. May I know yours?"

She smiled. "It would be rude to not introduce myself when you have. My name is Blakely Hyde, but I'm often referred to as Mother Joy." She then continued to lightly place her hands over Ares's, which just placed back the phone back into his jacket pocket.

Her hands were rough but warm and assuring as she squeezed him and looked him in the eyes motherly. "You are a polite fellow. Hard to find one these days. Please don't ever lose this."

Ares exerted strength on his fingers and softly responded. "I won't."

Blakely smiled once more before she let go of his hand. She gave a quick glance at Eirene inside the room before she wished both of them a good day.

-----

"Thank you for picking up Theia today."

Mother Joy smiled as she skillfully peeled an apple. It was brought by Ares and washed already by Jaxon. She then cut them into eight pieces, removed the seeds, placed them on a plate with a small fork, and handed them to Eirene.

"No problem. More over, you should rely on us more often. All of us love picking up our princess and any excuse to get break from work." The lady jokingly said and laughed.

"I wish to not disturb you. Your work is hectic. I've been there. I know how it can be around this time of the day." Eirene replied quietly as she plucked a piece of an apple and took an unusually small bite.

She had no appetite. But if she didn't eat, she knew the aunties would swarm up to her later in the evening to make her eat.

The apple was sweet and juicy. Spreading its sweetness to every part of her mouth. The taste reminded her of her childhood when her mother, who was still healthy at the time, used to feed her wild apples from the nearby forest every now and then for her and her brother.

Although she could barely remember her mother's voice, she never forgot how she felt around her. Her mother was her idol. The person she wanted to become.

"So," Mother Joy placed a hand on Eirene's thigh, bringing the actress from her short memory trip. "You seem to be in a happy mood despite being sick. I know it's not because you saw me, so don't try and bring that as the reason." The lady said confidently, leaving no space for lies and arguments. "What happened? ... Or who happened?"

At first, Eirene wanted to laugh at it and was going to take the initiative to change the topic, but the corners of her eyes caught something vibrant red on the spotless white sheets.

Without realising, she had let go of the fork in her hand and reached out to pick out the odd one. As soon as she touched it, she felt both her tense body and heart go soft.

It was a petal of a rose. It was fragile but very tender to the touch.

Holding the delicate creation of nature in between her fingers, Eirene's vision went pink. It warmed up her entire being like the sun in the sky that remained unjudging despite being alone.

"Who brought you that?" A gentle voice of mother Joy asked her from the side.

"The person..." She paused. What was Ares to her?

Was he a stranger? No. Was he a friend? No. Was he her acquaintance? Colleague? No. Was he... her lover?...No... Her family? Her... Her... What was he?

Eirene raised her head in perplexity and looked at the older woman next to her, trying to get help in trying to discern just exactly what that boy meant to her.

Mother Joy was looking back at her with an understanding gaze. "Are you confused?"

"Yes..."

"Why?" Her voice was tender as if a nymph was singing.

"Because... I'm scared." The actress shakingly answered in a whisper as if in a trance.

"Of?"

"Admitting my feelings and... getting hurt?" As the last word made it through her lips, something unfamiliarly warm glided Eirene's right cheek. She saw the elderly reach out a hand and sit back down after caressing the cheek.

The actress followed the woman's action, and that was when she felt the same warmth on the other cheek. This time, she reached out her own hand. After wiping, she had to blink a couple of times to get a clear vision of her tear.

Just then, she felt the tears pour out of her eyes as if the ice in the back of them had melted all of a sudden.

Why was she crying? Eirene wiped them to avoid letting them drop on the plate and the apples, but they kept coming, over and over again.

Ever since she met Ares, it was as if she turned into a child. She would wail, and the emotional control she had been able to do effortlessly until now was escaping from the space between her fingers like water.

Just what had he done to her? What did he awaken in her?

Eirene felt a pair of hands cup her face. Mother Joy was looking at her with a sad smile. "I won't ask you who he is to you anymore. I'm sorry."

The actress shook her head and wanted to say what was on her mind, but her throat and mouth weren't complying. All she could make were whimpers and wails.

"But," The elderly continued, "I will ask you what you want him to be in your life."

----

Eirene watched as the boy get nervous as he entered her room. She watched him close the door but frown afterwards. "Would like me to leave the door open?"

"Why's that?" She asked.

The boy was fairly serious as he answered, "So that you can escape."

"From?"

"Me." He pointed at himself and opened the door. "I'm a stranger, after all, and you are in no state to walk out of here when things get uncomfortable for you. As much as I try not to do that, I cannot control how you might feel. So when that happens, you can call Jaxon... or your daughter."

Eirene lightly nodded as she looked down. There was a feeling stirring inside her, causing discomfort. For a second, she thought it was because Ares was close to her, but her thoughts quickly evaporated when he sat next to her and quietly added her tea.

The boy quietly held the teacup in his hand and spoke softly with a hint of excitement. "Th-" He halted midway as if struck by lightning and snapped towards her direction. "May I refer to your daughter by her given name?"

"Sure."

Ares visibly relaxed and sighed in relief before he proceeded with the rest of the sentence. "Theia," He took a quick glance at her. "helped me find a lovely vase for the flowers. I hope you'll like it."

"I'm sure I will."

The boy's eyes sparkled as if she had said the most life-changing words and turned red in the cheek, neck and tip of the ears.

How could he look so happy? She only said four words that weren't even special, but they could make him this happy. How? Why? How can he smile at her like that?

Before she knew it, the question she had been dying to ask had spilt out of her mouth. "...Why aren't you asking anything?"

Ares looked stunned and bewildered. "What do you mean by that?"

With her eyes away from him, Eirene answered. "Everything. About my daughter. About my family. Brother. My life. My past..." The more she said, the more harsher they became. "You don't ask anything." She raised her head and glowered. "Don't you want to know?"

He was iced in his position, and only after ten seconds, he seemed to understand what she was trying to say.

"Well," he said and stared down into the teacup. "Truth be told, I would love to know everything you mentioned without missing a detail. But more than that, I don't want to see your sad smile or tears when you tell me.

"I actually watched one of your earlier movies, The Heart of Ice. I saw the difference in how you act today and then. I'm scared, terrified, of knowing what you went through that made you become this way.

"So," Ares smiled at her. "I'm going to wait until you are ready to tell me. I believe by then I'll be more courageous and strong to hear you out.

"Also, people have things they like to keep to themselves. Secrets are nothing new or something to be shamed of. I have secrets, and you have secrets. We are equal. I don't blame any part of you."